1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to identification cards, and more particularly to methods for forming plastic cards printable in a printing process, especially in a laser printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Previous methods for making identification cards produced embossed plastic cards and plain paper cards. Embossed cards are relatively expensive to make. Plain paper cards are inexpensive, however, they are not long lasting and do not convey a polished image. The image can be chipped off paper fibers. Also, the cards were not water resistant.
Plastic cards have been produced in which an impact printer is used to mark a sheet of die-cut plastic, tipped-on plastic, plastic-coated paper and some full sheet plastic cards. Such printers have relatively poor quality and are unable to form quality bar codes and graphics on such cards on the same care and sheet. Full sheets coated entirely or substantially with plastic on areas other than the card are environmentally wasteful, cost more and cause greater recycling problems.
Continuous forms with tipped on cards running through cold fusion or impact printers ofter fall off due to the difference in the thickness between the form carrier and the tipped on plastic card. This difference in thickness may cause the printer to snag on the card or otherwise malfunction.
Laser and ionographic printers are able to form high quality text and graphics on paper and some plastics. However, due to their construction, laser and ionographic printers are finicky and are often unable to handle varying thickness of paper on the same sheet. Likewise, many inkjet printers are unable to accurately print sheetstock that varies in thickness without jamming somewhere in the machine.
Many companies wish to send plastic identification cards to customers along with a cover letter of paper. Previous attempts to use laser or ionographic printers have failed to produce acceptable paper pages bearing plastic die-cut identification cards.